Price tag



Allg 2, 1938 E. J. GEARY 2,125,437

4 PRICE TAG Filed April 26` 5.958

N @EN E fr,

w I T` I RHN@ Patented Aug. 2, 1938 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE 6Claims.

This invention relates to price tags and in particularto price tagsemploying interchangeable characters and sign plaques.

'i Price tags of Celluloid or other material hav- 5. ing pockets formedtherein for receiving interchangeable sign characters have attained ageneral use in grocery stores, meat markets and the like. The price tagitself which holds interchangeable characters designating the sellingprice of an article is generally made sufficiently large to printthereon the name of the article priced thereby. A separate price tag isrequired for each different article to be priced if the storekeeperdesires to use captioned price tags to prevent any possibility ofaccidental or intentional confusion in the selling price which he placeson his merchandise, Also, price tags having pockets formed therein forholding interchangeable characters either with a caption printed thereonor without a caption are readable only from one side which makes themdistinctly disadvantageous when used on merchandise displayed in a storewindow or on counters spaced from the walls of a store by aisles wherethe said one sided price tags may be viewed from more than onedirection.

With the foregoing in View, the primary object of this invention is toprovide a price tag employing interchangeable characters which isperfectly readable from both sides thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a price tag having bothinterchangeable characters and interchangeable caption plaques which isreadable from both sides.

Another object of the invention is to provide :lo aprice tag havinginterchangeable caption plaques formed to releasably and firmly engageprice tags onto which they are telescoped.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent by reference to thefollowing detailed dedo scription taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a developed view of an interchangeable caption plaque used inconnection with price tags embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the interchangeable caption plaqueshown in Fig. l after forming the same.

Fig. 3 is an elevational View of a price tag embodying the invention.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional View taken on the line ll-d of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like numerals refer to like andcorresponding parts throughout the several views, the embodiment of theinvention disclosed therein comprises, in general, a preferablyrectangular price tag I 0 of opaque Celluloid or other suitable materialhaving a pair of laterally spaced upwardly disposed integral tabs I Iextending thereabove over which a suitably apertured and formed doublefaced caption strip I2 is impaled, the said price tag IE] being alsoprovided with a pair of spaced pocketed sign character retaining stripsI3 on both sides thereof adapted to receive and hold tabbedinterchangeable sign characters I4. The said price tag I0 may be eithersuspended from above by means of chains, cord or the like which may befastened in any desired manner to the upwardly disposed tabs Il thereofthrough suitable apertures I5 provided therein, or, the said price tagI6 may be supported on such means as wire pins I6 having a coiled upperend I'I into which the said price tag Iil may be frictionally engaged.

If the price tag I0 is formed of a thin Celluloid it may be desirable toreinforce the same against buckling by extruding a border I3 therearoundand extruding stiffener ridges I9 between the space normally ocupied bythe interchangeable sign characters I4. The said border I8 and stiffenerridges I9, if used, Would preferably be made arcuate in cross section soas to be but slightly discernible.

If the price tag I0 is provided with a border I8 the said border I8 maybe split at the center of the bottom thereof and turned upwardly asindicated by the numeral in Fig. 3 whereby to provide means for readilyestablishing the center of the price tag when frictionally engaging thesame in the upper end I'I of a wire supporting pin I'B.

The said sign character retaining strips I3 are provided with aplurality of spaced pockets 20 adapted to receive the tabs 2l of theinterchangeable sign characters I4 as best shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Theprice tag I0 to which the said sign character retaining strips I3 aresecured by means of suitable through rivets 22 serves as a backing forthe rear of the interchangeable sign characters I4 and the tabs 2|thereof.

The interchangeable tabbed sign characters I4 are preferably cut fromopaque Celluloid of a sharp contrasting color with respect to the colorof the price tag I0, and the pocketed sign character retaining strips I3are preferably out and formed from Celluloid of the same color as thesaid price tag I0 thus making the interchangeable sign characters placedon the price tag IU perfectly legible.

The caption strip I2 is preferably of Celluloid of the same color as theprice tag I0 and is first cut to size and provided with suitable spacedimpaling slots 23 as indicated in Fig. 1, and then the desired captionis printed and polished thereon. The caption strip I2 is then bent alongthe dotted lines 24 indicated in Fig. 1 and is formed into an inverted Uwith the open edges 25 thereof preferably turned inwardly as best shownin Fig. 2. The space between the sides of the inverted U-shaped captionstrip I2 is equal to or slightly greater than the thickness of the pricetag I0 and the space between the lower inwardly turned open edges 25 ofthe said inverted U-shaped caption strip I2 is preferably slightly lessthan the thickness of the said price tag I0.

The price tag I is preferably provided with a plurality of laterallyspaced retainer protuberances 26 and 2l extending alternately outwardfrom the fro-nt and rear thereof so located from the top of the pricetag I0 as to be engaged by the lower inwardly turned open edges of theinverted U-shaped caption strip I2 when the said caption strip I2 istelescoped over the price tag Ill and impaled on the upwardly disposedtabs II thereof as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

By the use of price tags embodying the invention together with aplurality of suitable inter- Y' where the border I3 and the stiffeningridges I9 are not necessary, there is no difference in the appearance ofeither side of the price tag.

Although but one specific embodiment of the invention has been disclosedand described herein, it will be understood that various changesincluding the size, shape, arrangement and detail of the various partsthereof may be made Without departing from the spirit o-f the invention,and it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention other than bythe terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a price tag formed of a sheet of opaqueCelluloid or the like, and a pair of spaced sign character retainingstrips secured on each side of the said price tag 4having pockets formedtherein adapted to retain tabbed interchangeable sign characters ofcontrasting color flat against both faces of the said price tag.

2.v In combination, a price tag formedof a sheet of opaque Celluloid orthe like, a pair of spaced sign character retaining strips secured oneach side of the said price tag having pockets formed therein adapted toretain tabbed interchangeable sign characters of contrasting color flatagainst the sides of the said price tag, and an inverted U-shaped doublefaced caption strip telescoped over the said price tag, the lower openedges of the said caption strip being turned inwardly and spacedslightly less than the thickness of the said price tag whereby to causethe said caption strip to frictionally engage the said price vtag whentelescoped thereover.

3. In combination, a price tag Vformed of a lsheet of opaque Celluloidor the like, a pair of spaced sign character vretaining strips securedon each side of the said price tag having pockets formed therein adaptedto retain tabbed interchangeable sign characters of contrasting colorflat against the sides of the said price tag, the said price tag havinga plurality of oppositely disposed protuberances formed in a row spacedabove the upper sign character retaining strips, and an invertedU-shaped double faced caption strip formed with its lower open edgesturned inwardly and spaced slightly less than the thickness of the saidprice tag telescoped over the said price tag in removably fixedengagement with the said protuberances.

4. In combination, a price tag formed of a sheet of opaque Celluloid orthe like having a pair of integral upwardly disposed laterally spacedtabs extending thereabove, a pair of spaced sign character retainingstrips secured on both sides of the said price tag having pockets formedtherein adapted to retain tabbed interchangeable sign characters ofcontrasting color flat against the sides of the said price tag, theupper sign character retaining strips being spaced below the top of thesaid price tag, and an inverted U-shaped double faced caption striphaving vertically disposed slots therein telescoped over the said pricetag and impaled on the said upwardly disposed tabs thereof extendingshort of the said upper interchangeable sign character retaining strips.

5. In combination, a price tag formed of a sheet of opaque Celluloid orthe like having a pair of integral upwardly disposed laterally spacedtabs extending thereabove, a pair of spaced sign character retainingstrips secured on both sides of the said price tag having pockets formedtherein adapted to retain tabbed interchangeable sign characters ofcontrasting color flat against the sides of the said price tag, theupper sign character retaining strips being spaced below the top of thesaid price tag, and an inverted U-shaped double faced caption striphaving vertically disposed slots therein telescoped over the said pricetag and impaled on the said upwardly disposed tabs thereof extendingshort of the said upper interchangeable sign character retaining strips,the lower open edges of the said caption strip being turned inwardly andspaced slightly less than the thickness of thesaid price tag whereby tocause the said caption strip to frictionally engage the said price tagwhen telescoped thereover.

6. In combination, a price tagI formed of `a sheet of opaque Celluloidor the like having a pair of integral upwardly disposed laterally spacedtabs extending thereabove, a pair of spaced sign character retainingstrips secured on Vboth sides of the said price tag having pocketsformed therein vadapted to retain tabbed interchangeable sign charactersof contrasting color flat against the sides of the said price tag, theupper sign character retaining strips being spaced below the top of thesaid price tag, the said price tag having a plurality of oppositelydisposed protuberances formed in a row spaced above the upper signcharacter retaining strips, and an inverted U-shaped double facedcaption strip having vertically disposed slots therein formed with itslower open edges turned inwardly and spaced slightly less than thethickness of the said price tag telescoped over the said price tag andimpaled on the said upwardly disposed tabs thereof in removably fixedengagement with the said protuberances. EDMUND J. GEARY.

